To begin, place the anesthetized animal in the surgical area, ensuring that the surgical site is adequately shaved and disinfected. Make a horizontal incision below the xiphoid process, measuring two to three centimeters in length. Then, use blunt scissors to separate the skin from the chest wall.
Using electrical cautery, make lateral cuts on both sides through the chest wall. Cut through the diaphragm to expose the heart. Gently remove the pericardium from the heart using forceps.
Next, insert a 27 gauge needle into the apex of the left ventricle, then retro greatly insert a conductance catheter into the left ventricle via the puncture hole, and adjust the catheter position until obtaining a square shaped pressure volume loop.
